humansciencefandomcom-20200214-history
Social Evolution
Today we talk of change and even evolution with impunity. A time was when one could have lost his head had he advocated any change. Elsewhere, we examine the four stages of Survival, growth, development and evolution . History and the social sciences study the wide range of changes that occur in society, often without being able to identify a clear pattern or direction to the movement. Human Science postulates that underlying the irregular movement, social change has a discernible direction. Society does not merely change. It ultimately evolves. Growth is increasing. Agriculture grows in the country when the extent of cultivation increases. Development of agriculture is agriculture by better methods, such as the shift from rain-fed cultivation to irrigated agriculture. When the mode of production changes from agriculture to manufacture or trade, the mode of production evolves. In that sense, our thesis here is that society evolves. *Communication develops when it progresses from the human messenger to the postal system, but communication remains communication though all these changes. It continues to be so when the telegraph, telephone and cell phone arrive. Still it is development of communication. Man communicating with another man, from mind to mind, is evolution of communication, not a mere development. *Education evolves when the method of memorization is given up in favor of understanding. *From bows and arrows to guns and nuclear weapons, war remains war. It is only a development of weapons. When man exchanges the battlefield for the negotiating table, it represents an evolution in the method of settling disputes. *From coinage to currency to credit card, Money remains Money. Only its appearance vastly develops. But when our conception of money changes – when we cease to conceive of it merely as a physical thing such as a gold coin and perceive that it is a social organization based on trust, and then the nature of money evolves. While the appearance of money merely develops, we find the content of money evolving. *When arranged marriages give place to love marriages, it is an evolution of marriage. *Worship of God evolves when Man discards the priest in favor of direct relationship with God. *The change from monarchy to democracy is an evolution of governance. *From catamaran to boat to ship to submarine is only development, while crossing the seas by plane represents an evolution of transport. *From monkey to ape is development, but the change from the ape to Man is evolutionary. Highlights #Social evolution is subconscious in the collective. #All achievements in the society are collective, not individual. #The collective achieves, the individual expresses it on its behalf. #The subconscious achievement becoming conscious accomplishment is through the individual pioneer. #In a mature society, the pioneer becomes a leader whereas in an immature society he becomes a rebel. #Society destroys a leader if he appears too soon. #The collective appreciates its own perfection in the individual, not his. #Collective social knowledge moves from experience to comprehension. #Knowledge of experience is unconscious knowledge of the physical. #Social development can be unconscious from the physical experience or conscious from the mental knowledge. #Evolution of society has its earlier statures of development, growth and survival. #The laws of change in each phase are the same in essence. The only change is change required for operating in each plane. #Even the laws of death, decay, destruction and disappearance are the same but work in the reverse direction. #These laws are the same for the individual, organisation and the social collectivity. #Society is its own determinant and is under no obligation to any exterior force in its evolution. #Geographical environment, climate, historical past, natural resources appear to be the determinants in the beginning. Ultimately society discovers that it is its own determinant. #At that point of transition from external determinism to self-determination, social evolution passes from unconscious to conscious status. #Social evolution begins not at the conscious or even at the inconscient part but at the subconscious because society has its base in the subconscious. #Readiness of the society emerges at the individual, not in all society because the emergence must be in organised knowledge or organised action not as ripe consciousness. #To organise consciousness into knowledge or action in one individual the whole society must supply the consciousness. #Evolution from one plane to another demands conversion of energy on the scale of liquids becoming vapour. #Social development is by the self-conception of the society. #By social development we mean society accomplishing its work by developing an organisation for it and continuing to improve that organisation. #All existing forms of behaviour, belief, functioning etc. become obstacles when development begins. #Society accepting the pioneer and following him is social development. #Development is development of consciousness. #Change of attitude expresses the new consciousness. #All new economic progress begins with this changed attitude to life style. #The invisible plane of life is as much a field of production as the factory that manufactures and the land that produces the grain. #In fact, being subtle, this life plane is more powerful and more productive. #Historically, all phases of development have begun only like this. #Even when natural resources, scientific discoveries have initiated a phase of development, it will be seen that they are only instruments and not causes. Category:Definition Category:life Category:Principles of Social Development Category:Process of Creation